HEALTH Boost your fertility with vitamins

Vitamins can help boost fertility


Ask the pharmacist
James Geraghty

Trying for a baby can be frustrating, especially if you don’t fall pregnant straight away.
Correct nutrition pre-pregnancy is important for both parents-to-be and can really help to boost your chances of falling pregnant and support a healthy pregnancy for mum and baby.

Him
Let’s start with himself: healthy sperm are essential and, as well as a good diet and cotton underwear, nutritional supplements can be helpful. Zinc is perhaps the most critical mineral for male sexual function. It is involved in virtually every aspect of male reproduction including hormone metabolism, sperm formation, and sperm mobility. Among many other problems, zinc deficiency is characterised by decreased testosterone levels and sperm counts. Good food sources of zinc include chickpeas, beans and pumpkin seeds.
The amino acid L-Arginine is also essential in healthy sperm production, ensuring not only quantity, but quality. Pine bark extract offers improvements in blood flow and peripheral circulation which can assist male reproductive function. 

Her
For mum-to-be, at the top of the list it has to be vitamin E. Known as the fertility nutrient, its proper name ‘alpha tocopherol’ comes from the Greek words tokos which means ‘offspring’ and phero ‘to bear’. It functions primarily as an antioxidant in protecting against damage to sensitive cells in the body and consequently increasing pregnancy rates.
Vitamin C and bioflavonoids (found in citrus and other fruits) are also thought to increase fertility; a recent study found that pregnancy rates were higher in the group supplementing with vitamin C, than in the control groups.
Folic acid, which we know is so important for the health and development of the baby’s spinal cord and brain, is also crucial for healthy cell division and so crucial in conception and the vital first weeks.
For women, two other important nutrients worth considering are chromium and alpha lipoic acid. Both have been found to be beneficial in cases of insulin resistance, a common feature of infertility due to polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), a condition which affects between affects 5-10 per cent of reproductive aged women.

Both of you
A healthy diet should provide many of the nutrients both you and your husband will need, but a good multi nutrient supplement will help you to cover all bases.
Fertility for Men capsules and Fertility for Women capsules from Viridian Nutrition are designed specifically to provide all the nutrients needed by both partners. Take two capsules daily and ideally at least 90 days ahead of planned conception.